Economists seldom all agree when it comes to China’s economic future, but there is a widespread optimism about the expected country’s performance for 2018, tells leading economist Arthur Kroeber, author of China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know®, to the South China Morning Post.

Women have been bearing most of the burden of China’s shift from state economy to market economy, says author Zhang Lijia of Lotus: A Novel, on prostitution in China, at the BBC World Service. Despite a lot of advantages, women suffered severe setbacks. State owned companies let women go at 45 years of age, and getting hired at the sexist job market has been harder than ever, she adds. “Some refuse to hire women at a child-bearing age.”

Journalist Ian Johnson’s latest book The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao is not short of positive reviews. But Jeremiah Jenne gives in the World of Chinese his review an extra twist. The Return of religion in China is not limited to the country’s search of new values, but might be part of a worldwide search of values, Jenne writes.

Daoism is key to understand today’s China, says journalist Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao. to ABC News. “You can provide values, an escape for people, or turn inward to piety, but you cannot challenge the Government. You can’t be an alternative source of values or the Government will turn against you.”

Tencent’s WeChat, one of China’s leading data companies, might be easier in sharing data with the government compared to its Western competitors, says WeChat expert Matthew Brennan. But when it comes to sharing data with marketeers, the company is way more restrictive, he tells in Harvard Political Review.

When opening and reform of China took off, Western visitors were received as saviors. But that attitude has changed dramatically, writes Chinese-American Kaiser Kuo at SupChina. “While I full-throatedly decry this kind of anti-foreignism, I think at some level it’s entirely natural, and I’m actually thankful that it’s kept mostly in check,” he says.

Bike-sharing firms like Mobike and Ofo might work out, explains Jeffrey Towson, investment professor at the Peking University. “It is unusual but not crazy,” he tells about the pervasive marketing strategy of bike-sharing. Independent assets moving around might just be the new thing.

Ant Financial, Didi Chuxing and Xiaomi made it to the top-3 Chinese unicorns in 2017 on a list of 120 most successful unicorns in Greater China, announced the Hurun Greater China Unicorn 2017 Index last week. Beijing is leading the pack, says Hurun founder Rupert Hoogewerf, followed by Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou. Keeping up with the amazing growth is tough, Hoogewerf tells AsiaVenturepedia.

The BBC reports on a booming, but secretive industry in China: how to get rid of the mistress of your husband. Author Zhang Lijia of Lotus: A Novel on prostitution in China explains why flaws in the current divorce rules cause this weird phenomena.

Getting rid of legal barriers is key for using innovation in real life, and Beijing approved the first regulations in China on self-driving cars, writes lawyer Mark Schaub at the China Law Insight. He elaborates on the details. “We expect more regions to follow Beijing’s lead and compete for innovation in this key sector,” he adds.